South Side Health and Vitality Studies

Doriane Miller, MD, executive director of the Center for Community Health and Vitality and associate professor of medicine

The South Side Health and Vitality Studies (SSHVS) is a family of research studies that joins community members with faculty, staff, doctors and nurses from the university. Knowledge gained from the studies will inform the Urban Health Initiative. Together, we are working to generate knowledge and study the impact of interventions in order to create and maintain good health on the South Side of Chicago. Through this collaboration, we seek to gather data and design innovations that result in benefits that are meaningful to researchers and community members.

Stacy Tessler Lindau, MD, MAPP, principal investigator for the South Side Health and Vitality Studies and associate professor of obstetrics/gynecology and medicine-geriatrics

SSHVS aims to gather information that contributes to a deep and holistic understanding of the factors that influence the health and wellness of residents on Chicago's South Side. University faculty and staff with community residents have already worked together to conduct a population-based study of health on the South Side and annually conduct a comprehensive census of the region’s assets SSHVS researchers seek to both strengthen our existing relationships and foster new relationships.

Leadership for CCHV and SSHVS are made up of a deeply committed team of faculty, staff and community members who have committed time and talent to these initiatives

SSHVS’s MAPSCorps

The South Side Health and Vitality Studies focus on health and wellness in the thirty-four community areas. One of the first efforts, the MAPSCorps program, began in July 2009 by employing local youth to gather information about resources such as businesses, non-profit organizations, and community organizations in East Side, Grand Boulevard, Hyde Park, Kenwood, Washington Park and Woodlawn. Since 2009, over 16,000 organizations and businesses have been identified in 28 of the 34 South Side communities where the census has been completed (5 additional South Side communities have been partially mapped). Data gathered through this project are available to the public on in a mapped format and all data are available by request.

We are working toward the goal of mapping all 34 of Chicago’s South Side communities. As of June 2015, MAPSCorps youth mapped assets in 35 communities spanning 16 zip codes.

Youth gather data using smart phones with a Web-enabled application called “MapApp.” They learn about scientific method, the practical skills of systematic observation, data collection, navigation skills, and how to use social media to communicate creatively and responsibly about their experiences.